Rivian's "Phone as Key" Feature Needs More Work

Editor's Note: This post has been updated to reflect the most recent over-the-air software update Rivian has released, which included updates to the phone-as-key feature and the phone app's route planning function covered in this post.

Carrying keys around with you all the time is something we've come to accept as just part of life, but new technology is giving us options. Several automakers are now offering the ability to use your cell phone—the other thing you carry around with you all the time—as your car key. Our 2022 Rivian R1T EV pickup long-term tester has this feature and as much as we like it in concept, it still needs improvement.

I'm the perfect target for this feature. I hate carrying any more keys with me than I absolutely have to. I keep my house keys in my pocket so I always know where they are and don't have to dig them out of the bottom of a bag. Massive key fobs annoy me because they take up too much space in my other pocket. Neat as the Rivian's carabiner key fob is, I'll gladly use my phone as my key instead every day of the week. In fact, I do.

That's why I wish it worked a little better. The one issue I have with our Rivian's Phone As Key feature is how long it takes the truck to recognize I'm standing there waiting to open the door. The actual length of time is highly variable and I'll get into that, but having experienced other vehicles with keyless entry that recognize a key fob or phone every time I approach, I'm left wanting the R1T to work better.

The issue primarily seems to be the direction I approach the truck from. Walking up to the front of our R1T, it works every time. Walking up to the rear is less consistent but generally works. Walking to it from the side rarely works. It's more than a little frustrating to walk up to the truck in a parking lot and be standing next to the driver door for several seconds waiting for it to realize I'm there and extend the door handles.

It's even more frustrating in my own driveway. Because I have a long, narrow driveway (barely wide enough to fit a dually pickup without driving on my neighbor's lawn) and the R1T is too long to fit in my 81-year-old garage, it gets parked out in front of the house. Since I have to nose it up to the gate to keep it out of the sidewalk, when I walk out the front door I have to walk down the passenger side and around the back of the truck to the driver door. The truck almost never recognizes me at any point in that walk

I have found one trick that helps get its attention, though it's also hit or miss. Taking my phone out of my pocket and waking the screen (opening the phone not required)  sometimes makes the truck find the phone quicker. I've also taken to going out my driveway gate rather than taking the pedestrian walkway so I have to walk up to the nose of the truck where it picks me up every time.

The good news is, thanks to over-the-air (OTA) software updates, things have been getting better and likely will in the future. In the eight months we've had the R1T, the Phone as Key feature has improved noticeably. It's better at recognizing me now than it was at first, especially from the front. The most recent OTA update has added a feature wherein certain exterior lights will flash when the truck has detected the phone in range but not close enough to initiate the unlocking function. The truck still seems to have trouble following the phone if you walk around the vehicle rather than straight up to it, but it indicates the feature is continuing to evolve and improve. Hopefully, Rivian will continue to work on both the truck's software and the phone app to the point it'll recognize me every time no matter where I walk up to it from.

You of course don't have to use your phone to open and start the truck. There's also the key fob, but it's not great, either. The range isn't good compared to other vehicles and very often there's a long delay between when you hit a button and when the truck reacts. Other times, you have to push the button several times before it locks, unlocks, opens the frunk, or drops the tailgate. Reaction times have been as long as a half-minute.

Rivian also supplies a plastic card similar to a hotel room key with an embedded RFID chip. Holding it to the door handle to lock and unlock the truck works reliably once you figure out where the sensor is (towards the rear of the handle but not all the way back). Once inside, holding it against a certain spot on the door above the window switches (indicated in a picture on the card) "starts" the truck. This sensor is also a little hard to find, but once you know where it is, it works reliably.

Everything about the card also works with the wristband. Rubber with an RFID chip embedded inside, it's waterproof so you can take it hiking, swimming, and anywhere else without worry. You can lock your other keys and phone in the truck where they're out of sight and safe and get in and out by touching your wrist to the door handle.

What happens when you pull up to the valet and need to leave them the key fob or card and take your phone with you? The software has that covered. The truck has no issue changing from one key type to another. It'll try to connect to the primary or secondary phone (you can have two phones set up as keys) if they're around, otherwise it'll immediately switch to the key fob if it's present or wait for the card to be held up to the sensor.

The Rivian app can do a lot more than get you into the truck. From the get go, it would allow you to lock and unlock it remotely, turn on and off the heat and AC remotely to precondition the cabin, locate the truck on a map, and locate chargers on a map.

Since we've had the R1T, though, Rivian's added several more features to the phone app. In addition to turning on or off the climate control remotely, you can now also activate or deactivate the front and rear seat heaters, front seat coolers, and heated steering wheel. You can also now crack the windows (and close them), open and close the frunk, set off the alarm, and turn on and off the Gear Guard video surveillance system from the phone. While charging, you can now start and stop charging and change the charging limit. It's also possible to schedule and track service appointments and progress.

One feature we'd really like to see is the ability to plan a roadtrip from the phone and send the route to the truck. The original public charger locator was upgraded to allow you to find a charger and get directions on your phone in Google or Apple Maps, and the latest update allows you to send that destination to the truck's navigation system. It does not, however, let you see the route on the phone or give you multiple routes to choose from. You don't find out which way you're going until you're in the truck, which makes planning your stops along the way a last-minute chore. It also will not let you select any destination except a charger, so you can't put in grandma's house and send that to the truck, just the closest public charger. You can still view the charger location in Google Maps or Apple Maps on your phone, but the truck still doesn't support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, so you can't put it on the infotainment screen. Competitors like the Ford F-150 Lightning let you plan a route to any destination you want on your phone and send it to the truck, so we're hoping Rivian will add this function soon.

OTA updates are one of the coolest features to hit the auto market in decades. In a matter of minutes, your vehicle can install an update that adds entirely new features and improves existing functions. We'll cover all the new features that have been uploaded to our truck in a future update, but for now, we're enjoying the continual improvement to features we already have and like and we appreciate Rivian's commitment to continually upgrading the truck after purchase. I just hope they keep working on the phone as key and key fob reception.